I Know What We're Taking Over Today!
by bilaterus
Summary: It's just another day for Phineas and Ferb, only this time... they're taking over the Tri-State Area! Although Isabella's fantasies of becoming Phineas's queen are realized, she still feels that something is amiss. And how will Perry return everything to normal?
1. Chapter 1: Rebellion

**Hello! **

**If this looks familiar, that's because it's just my first fic, but re-uploaded with several significant changes that make it read a whole lot better. It was pretty amateur before. I hope you enjoy it ^_^**

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Watching Isabella loving Phineas was like watching a pro sports team go against a group of toddlers: it's massively one-sided, a little painful to see (but you can't turn away) and it would be incredible if they were an equal match... but realistically, the chance of that happening are slim to none.

It was this kind of thing that Isabella pondered as she walked over to Phineas and Ferb's backyard, after the Fireside Girls meeting. It had ended a little late, but Phineas would understand. He was amazing like that. He was amazing in a lot of other ways, too, like the way he was always willing to help others, or the way that he saw everything could be an adventure, or the way his massive energy and enthusiasm quickly spread to everyone around him. Isabella could go on and on. It was so obvious to her how absolutely amazing Phineas was that she was surprised that every girl who knew the boy hadn't fallen hopelessly and immediately in love with him.

Of course, if any of the other Fireside Girls admitted to having a crush on Phineas, Isabella would have to strangle them.

Isabella looked up and noticed she was already outside the backyard. _Funny how time flies whenever I walk over here, _she thought.

_To my surprise, only Phineas was in the backyard, and he was tinkering with some hand-held gadget. He looked up and smiled at me."Hey Phineas!" I said, as I walked through the gate."Whatcha dooin?"_

"_Hey Isabella! I was just -" a look of realisation seemed to dawn on his face. "You know what? I'm not sure what I'm doing. I'm not sure what I've BEEN doing! I love you, Isabella Garcia-Shapiro! Will you be my queen?"_

_With this, Phineas transformed into an elegant centaur, and the rest of the world faded from view. I took his hand and climbed onto his back, and we flew away on an incredible rainbow into a distant magical land in the sky..._

Isabella snapped back to reality; she was still outside the back gate. Was she getting better or worse at controlling her Phineas-land escapades? Looking back at the past couple of days, there had been a couple of close shaves. Well, it was difficult to tell how close she had come to giving the game away, what with Phineas's utter obliviousness to her every hint!

Ok, Ok. Two things to do today. One: be extra cool around Phineas today. Two: put Buford in his place.

"Hey guys!" she said with a beaming expression, as she entered the backyard.

Phineas looked up and smiled at her. "Hey Isabella. Come on in!" He was already tinkering with an invention that looked largely like a portable single room. It seemed to be a fragile cardboard box but for the missing panel on the side where Phineas and Ferb were standing, which exposed the detailed circuitry and wiring under the surface.

"Whatcha dooin?" Isabella asked politely in her usual fashion.

Buford nudged Baljeet, who was still pouring over an old book with documents scattered all over the desk he'd set there. "See, nerd? I told you she wouldn't -"

There was venom, and a hint of satisfaction, in Isabella's voice when she cut him off. "Buford, we'll talk about what you said later."

"I TOLD you she would know you took her catchphrase earlier!" Baljeet exclaimed smugly towards Buford.

"Alright nerd, you win the bet. No noogies today."

"Anyway," Isabella continued, "what're you guys building?"

Phineas stopped working on the machine to turn to face her. "It's a cloning machine we designed to give us more manpower for our campaign to take over the Tri-State Area."

Perry, who was simply relaxing nearby, jumped up in shock. _Did he say 'take over the Tri-State Area'?_

"It uses solar power and recycled plant matter to make perfect albeit temporary copies of us," Phineas explained.

Isabella was only partly paying attention to the actual words. "Neat! Anything I can do to help?" _Oh Phineas, I'd do anything for you... wait, did he say 'take over the Tri-State Area'?_

"Well, we don't need anything right now, but Ferb suggested that having a girl on the crew would help get us the female votes. You know, a sort of king-slash-queen deal. We'll have a big coronation and photo op to gain public support, with plenty of shots of the two of us together of course. What do you say?"

_Wow, this is happening! This is really happening! _"OH MY GOSH YES- er, I mean, sure, whatevs. It's all good bro."

"Excellent, you get ready for the big show later on and we'll get the promotion started. Think 'princess'."

Phineas, fortunately for Isabella, was completely oblivious to her outburst and didn't give it much thought. Isabella rushed off excitedly to regroup the Fireside Girls and get prepared for the coronation while he and Ferb put the rest of the finishing touches on the Cloning Machine.

"Ok, we're all set. All done there, Ferb?"

Ferb gave a quick thumbs up, neatly indicating that the machine was ready to go.

"Baljeet, how's the legal side of things coming?" asked Phineas.

"We have everything we need in place. Of course, it would have been done a lot faster if Buford was not distracting me!" He looked pointedly at Buford.

"Listen nerd, I told you I wouldn't noogie you again didn't I?" he responded slyly.

He then proceeded to give Baljeet a wedgie.

"Anyway, I think we're all set." Frowning, Phineas looked around. "Hey, where's Perry?"

* * *

Perry was actually behind the tree in the backyard, sending an urgent message through his wrist communicator through to OWCA headquarters. It connected immediately and the communicator display cut to an image feed of Major Monogram; he was sunbathing on the roof of HQ wearing nothing but his summer shorts, with a cup of lemonade in one hand and a potato in the other.

"I'm telling you Carl, this spud looks just like Beppo Brown- oh, Agent P. Is there a problem?"

Perry carefully pointed the wrist communicator at the boys as Phineas outlined the plan, unaware that it was being relayed to the secret government facility.

"Ok, so me, Ferb and Isabella will get prepped for the photo shoot. The Cloning Machine is producing copies of us as we speak, so when it's done. Baljeet and Buford will be in charge of distributing the campaign leaflets and posters and sending them across the Tri-State Area. After our shoot is done, we'll all head over to the big publicity rally and then all that's left is to go to City hall. Any questions?"

There was a short silence as the gang digested the plan. Back at headquarters, Monogram had long since dropped his glass of lemonade, his potato and his mouth in shock. Had it been any other group of children, he'd have dismissed the discussion as a product of the children's overactive imaginations, but with these two boys...

When he came to his senses, he stood up abruptly. Immediately, he took out his phone and began barking orders, frantically co-ordinating masses of troops into position to crush the rebellion and capture the perpetrators of this very real and threatening plot. Nobody had time to appreciate the irony of the Major having to co-ordinate a full-scale classified mission wearing only his yellow shorts.

It was far from Perry's mind, too, which was in a state of confusion and panic. The day had promised to be even better than normal, and now the boys were to be taken away? It wasn't in the boys' nature to attempt a takeover of the Tri-State Area. It didn't fit them at all! _Then why..._

It took a few more precious seconds before his training kicked in and his conflicted mind put two and two together. He sneaked round the back of the house to the trash cans...and moved them out of the way to reveal a sliding panel covering a tube leading to his Secret Agent Hideout. He quickly booted up the computer and tried to send a message through to Major Monogram. But despite the large number of lines of access, he found the Major busy organising the strike teams on all of them. It looked like he needed to contact someone else.

"What's that, Agent P? Today's footage from Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated?" Thankfully, Major Monogram had assigned Carl to mere clean-up duty, and so when Perry tried to get through to Carl it went through immediately. Wasting no time, Carl rushed to bring up the footage from earlier in the day at Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, and the sight caused his eyes to widen.

"Major Monogram! Come quickly, you have to see this!" Carl exclaimed.

"What is it, Carl? I'm busy here!"

"You have to call off the mission! Look!"

Major Monogram turned away from the phone and took a look at the footage. His years of animal agent experience allowed him to quickly understand what Agent P was trying to suggest.

_As much as I'd like it to, the footage doesn't change anything,_ Monogram thought. _Whatever the reason, any and all evil plots must be kept in check by the Agency. It's OWCA policy..._

Sighing slightly, he turned to face Perry on the screen. "I'm- I'm sorry, Agent P. I know how close you are to your owners, but I still have to bring them in, and consequently you'll be relocated to a different host family along with a different evil scientist."

Perry's devastated expression induced intense sympathy in the Major, but he remained resolute. "Oh come on, sir!" Carl pleaded. "There must be something you can do! A secret mission, a loophole, anything!"

_A loophole, eh? Well, there was that trick they taught us back at..._

_The Academy..._

Perry and Carl looked at him curiously, as Monogram stared into the distance. Shortly, he cleared his throat and turned back to the screen. "Yes well, according to the OWCA by-laws, any and all evil resulting from the actions of an evil scientist are the responsibility of the Agent in question. Since this is indirectly the work of Doofenshmirtz, it's down to you to come up with a plan to put a stop to it. Good luck, Agent P!"

Perry saluted and rushed off, his grin a mixture of relief and determination. Monogram too turned to leave.

"Hang on sir," Carl said, hesitating a little. "The readers don't know what happened at Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated this morning."

Monogram face-palmed. "Carl, quit goofing around. They can read about it in the next chapter. And what have I told you about breaking the fourth wall?

"Sorry, sir. But what can we do now?"

"I'm afraid there's nothing for it but to trust in Agent P's plan." He turned to go, but stopped before he left the room.

"Actually Carl, there is one thing you can do."

"Yes sir?"

"Bring me up another glass of lemonade."

* * *

**Heh. I hope this chapter leaves you wanting more! Check out the next chapter. Click it. You know you want to.**


	2. Chapter 2: Explanation

**Alright. As hinted at, this chapter explains what happened exactly at DEI :P **

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_Earlier that day..._

The Flynn-Fletcher household was quiet, its inhabitants all asleep. At the foot of Phineas' bed was Perry, who was having a curious dream. It involved a kangaroo with its own seafood restaurant, a mysterious talking shoe, and, inevitably, Doofenshmirtz. He was about to reveal his latest maniacal plan, but whether it was one of his ludicrous or dangerous ideas, Perry wouldn't find out.

The repeated beeping of his watch echoed into Perry's ears. His eyes flew open. In one smooth motion, he both donned his fedora and glanced at the boys, confirming they were undisturbed. It was only then that he directed his attention to the wrist communicator.

"Good morning Agent P," Major Monogram whispered. "We're sorry to wake you at this hour, but we've got an urgent situation with Doofenshmirtz. Our source-"

"That's me!"

"Quiet, Carl!"

Perry turned around quickly as Ferb stirred in his bed. Perry paused in dead silence. A few tense moments passed, but Ferb rolled over and continued snoring lightly. Perry breathed a sigh of relief and made his way out of the room. It was evident they would be asking him to perform an early mission and according to the time, the brothers would be awake soon, so for his cover as a mindless semi-aquatic mammal to stay secure it would be safest to get clear of the family.

"As I was saying before being so _rudely interrupted_," Major Monogram continued as Perry closed the door. "Carl has been monitoring Doofenshmirtz."

"He's been working frantically on a new Inator all night," Carl explained. "Obviously this means trouble, so find out what he's building and put a stop to it."

Perry saluted and the transmission ended. He then rushed off with his usual speed and efficiency towards his bespoke hover car, his ride to Doofenshmirtz's building. Over at OWCA Headquarters, Major Monogram looked sternly at his intern.

"Carl! What have I told you about taking my line in front of the operatives?"

"Sorry sir."

*Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated!*

*_In the morning_*

The jingle played softly as Perry neared the building. It was still early and so hover car parking was thankfully easy to find. As Perry prepared his equipment for the upcoming job, he wondered what kind of scheme Doofenshmirtz was preparing today. Perhaps he would reveal his deep-seated hatred for bow ties, or launch a plot to enslave all of the senior citizens of the Tri-State Area. It may even be the other way round; Perry wouldn't put it past Doofenshmirtz to create an army of evil bow ties or an evil Senior Citizen Away-Inator. Perhaps that's what made going to thwart him so fun. _That and crashing through windows, _Perry thought, as he crashed through a window.

Doofenshmirtz turned to face him as he heard the shattered glass and falling debris. "Ah, Perry the Platypus, how interesting," he said slyly, as he pushed the button on the remote he was holding. Before Perry could react, he was trapped by a giant mechanical arm that grabbed his waist and lifted him slightly into the air. "And by 'interesting' of course I mean completely, er, 'resting' I guess? I suppose that doesn't really work... eh, it'll come to me.

"Anyway, you may be wondering what I've been working on all night. Well, it all started yesterday when you thwarted my evil plans for like, the thousandth time. I started wondering whether I had the right evil qualities to take over the Tri-State Area. And then it hit me! I should be focusing on making myself the natural leader of the Tri-State Area by using my latest invention. Behold: the Take Over the Tri-State Area-Inator!"

There was a moment or two of awkward silence as Doofenshmirtz stood in the dramatic pose he'd built up to over his monologue. Perry looked at him quizzically.

"Wait, where is it? Bear with me, Perry the Platypus, this remote doesn't always work... there! Now you can behold!"

The floor slid apart. Dramatic chords sounded as the new Inator rose to full height. Its cold steel plating were metallic and had razor-like edges, making it look deadly and efficient. It sent a foreboding chill ran down Perry's spine, but he tried to shake off the feeling. After all, whatever danger the Inator posed, Perry was confident he could neutralise it.

It was time to act.

Doofenshmirtz was tapping away at the TOTSAI which began to charge up, humming ominously. Meanwhile, Perry's hands were free and he took his whistle set from inside his fedora. Sure enough, the 'Komodo Dragon' whistle was in its place. Smiling, Perry blew it, the strange sound making Doofenshmirtz jump and spin around. At the sound of the call, a figure came parachuting down through the roof of the building.

"Oh no! It's Special Agent K!" Doofenshmirtz exclaimed as the giant green lizard landed on him. "Arrrrrgh!"

The remote fell out of Doofenshmirtz's hand and clattered onto the floor towards Perry's dangling feet. Stretching, he pushed the button which released the trap. Doofenshmirtz had just fended off Special Agent K when Perry leapt at him with a punch that sent him staggering backwards. Doofenshmirtz grabbed a wrench and swung it but Perry blocked with a pair of nun-chucks, taking the wrench out of Doof's hands in the process.

"Hey, where did you get those?" Doofenshmirtz protested. "It's like they just appeared out of convenience! That's lazy writin-" Before he could finish, Perry had leapt up to deliver a painful kick to the face, sending Doofenshmirtz crashing into the TOTSAI.

"Oh poo," Doofenshmirtz sighed, as the machine started to shake violently. "Well, here it comes..."

Perry was leaving on his glider as the machine exploded at Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated. Perry listened for and heard Doofenshmirtz's cry of 'curse you Perry the Platypus!' that inevitably followed a successful thwarting. Perry smiled; he was already thinking about what he would do with the brothers for the rest of the day.

He couldn't have foreseen what was about to happen.

The fabric of space-time and the Mysterious Forces of the Universe work in ways undecipherable even to those that seek to understand it. For whatever reason, the single green beam fired from the TOTSAI before its destruction would travel towards the co-ordinates of a certain backyard at the time when a certain pair of brothers were outside planning their day...

"So what should we do, Ferb?" Phineas asked, as he leafed through their scrapbook of past adventures. "Got any ideas?"

"Well-"

It was then that the beam enveloped the boys, bathing the backyard in an emerald glow. It was a few moments before Phineas turned to his brother.

"Ferb?" he said slowly, "I think I know what we're gonna do today."

* * *

**Ok, it was pretty obviously a Doof-ray. But I quite like this chapter. Doof and Perry, nemeses ftw!**


	3. Chapter 3: Developments

**The story develops. Enter Candace!**

* * *

The Googolplex mall was as busy as ever. Stacy and Candace were spending the day perusing the stores, all the while discussing fashion, the many 'what if' situations that teenage minds sparked, Jeremy, and Candace's brothers, the latter two often being spun (to Stacy's dismay) into incredibly convoluted stories of the distant future.

"Hey Stacy," Candace said, "what if we were supermodels!"

"Yeah, that'd be awesome," Stacy agreed. "I'd totally have a bunch of servants to do everything for me, like cleaning my room, doing my chores, school work, homework. You know, they'd do all the boring useless stuff so we could chill out more and have fun."

"That'd be great. Meanwhile I'll start a new fashion trend, 'The Candace Collection', and I'd become a big star. Then, me and Jeremy will get married, and have a huge popular wedding with loads of celebrities and we'd get a big house and have kids called Xavier, Fred and Amanda-"

"Candace-"

"Ooh, but then Phineas will say 'hey Ferb, let's ruin our sister's life' and then they'll build a giant mechanical contraption so big and bustable and I'll try to show Mom but she still won't see it and she'll say something like 'aren't the boys a little young to be building things like that?' and then I'll die old and alone and penniless and ugly-"

"Candace!"

It was common for her to work herself up into such a state at least once a day. Stacy could understand her fixation with Jeremy - love is love - but she could never understand her obsession with busting her brothers.

"Do geese know why they fly south for the winter? Do wolves know why they howl at the moon? Do iguanas know why they play oboes?"

"Actually, I don't think I've ever seen an iguana playing an oboe."

"Ok maybe not," Candace admitted. "But my point is I can't explain why I need to bust the boys. I just do. It's in my blood: a busting instinct that compels me to get Mom to see what the boys are doing!

"It takes a lot out of me though, Stace. It's a constant struggle against the Mysterious Force. On top of that I've got to spend time with Jeremy or on my Jeremy Scrapbook or on my Jeremy Shrine - did I say those out loud?"

"Don't worry," Stacy said reassuringly. "As long as we can hang out together like this and have fun, there can't be any problems!" She looked up and saw something that made her heart sink. _That could be a problem, _she thought sadly.

Candace saw Stacy's expression change. "What? What is it?"

"No no, Candace, it's nothing -" Stacy started to say as Candace turned around, but it was too late.

"Oh, it's just Phineas and Ferb." Candace turned back to see Stacy's resigned expression, and behind her...

"And Ph-Phineas and F-F-Ferb?" she stuttered. She looked around further. "And Phineas! And Ferb! And Phineas!" There were multiple Phineases and Ferbs all talking to people in the store and handing out flyers. Candace immediately jumped up and ran towards the nearest one. Stacy followed accepting her fate, but also, she admitted to herself, slightly curious as to what adventure the boys were planning today.

"Phineas!" Candace shouted as she grabbed his arm...which came clean off in her hands.

Naturally, Candace screamed loud and long. The scream rang through the mall, scattering birds of flight, and even Linda stopped and turned to listen as her ears, tuned to the screams of her daughter, subconsciously picked up the sound of an all too familiar scream perpetrated miles away.

Stacy was shocked too. "That's kind of disturbing," she said, eyes wide. The Phineas-like being turned to them, apparently unperturbed by his missing ligament.

"Hi Candace and Stacy!" he/it said happily. "Would you like to take a leaflet?"

Candace screamed again and threw the arm in her hand into the air.

"What exactly are you?" Stacy asked.

"We're Clones made of plant matter," the Phineas Clone explained cheerfully. "We don't feel pain because we lack the pain receptors. We've also got a basic 'intelligence' which allows us to perform simple thoughts and actions due to a carbon-based system-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, that's not important. What is important is how to show you to Mom so I can bust you!" Candace said gleefully.

"Aren't your parents on the other side of town today for that antiques convention?" Stacy asked.

"Yeah, that's right. But she's gotta see this!" Candace took her phone out. "Don't move," she said, glaring at the Phineas Clone, before she dialled Mom's number.

There was an audible sigh from the other end after the call connected. "What is it this time, Candace?" Linda asked tiredly.

"Mom! I'm standing right here with some freaky Clone Phineas and Ferb made. You gotta come home right away!"

"Oh, is Phineas there? "

"No no, it's just a clone they made! Here," she then said to the Phineas Clone, shoving the phone in his/its face. "You talk."

"Hi," the clone said cheerfully, as before.

"So is it the real Phineas I'm talking to?"

"Actually I'm a Phineas Clone. My progenitor is off organising a big campaign to become absolute ruler of the Tri-State Area."

"And by that you mean 'run for mayor'?"

"Well, yeah."

"Aw, how cute. You'd get my vote for sure, honey. Anyway, I have to go now, Phineas. Play nice with your sister!"

"We will!" The phone clicked as Mom hung up. Candace growled as she snatched the phone away from the Phineas Clone.

"Alright, new plan. You're coming with me to Mom. And when she sees you, the boys will be busted!"

"Ok," the clone said, unperturbed, as he obediently followed. Stacy rushed up to Candace, concern evident on her face.

"Candace! Did that thing just say your brothers are 'taking over the Tri-State Area'? What does that even mean?"

"I don't know Stacy, but whatever it is, it's gonna be big...and bustable!" She grinned at the thought of her inevitable and long-awaited victory over the boys.

_I should stop her, _Stacy thought. _She's going to go all the way to the other side of town where her Mom is just because of her crazy obsession, and she's going to drag me along too! It's really not healthy for her to keep trying to bust her brothers. Yes, this time I'll stop her. I'll talk her out of it and we can have a day of girl fun, just the two of us! I can do it!_

"Stacy?" Candace said, looking at her with deep, appealing eyes. "Please will you come along?"

"...Alright."

"Thank you!"

_Darn it._

* * *

It was later in the day. Roger Doofenshmirtz was relaxing at his desk, lazily signing his name on a formal document or two, when his pager beeped; he pressed the button and his assistant Melanie informed him he had visitors. Before he could give permission, a large group of citizens stormed in, packing 'out with the Roger, in with the new' and 'let the next generation take over' signs and placards. They were spearheaded by... two young boys? What crazy scheme was his brother up to now?

No, it didn't seem to be Heinz. It wasn't convoluted enough...

"Aren't you a little young to be taking over the Tri-State Area?" he spluttered.

"Yes," said Phineas, smiling. "Yes we are."

* * *

Isabella's day had been glorious. She had returned from the backyard with the Fireside Girls to prepare for the big publicity event. Her dress had been stunning; it was an elegant purple dress which glittered in the light as she twirled. She had to hand it to Adyson, who had procured a neat silver tiara which perfectly completed the look. After that she had headed over to where the parade would begin. She saw Phineas atop the parade float, sitting on a throne and in regal attire, which had been adapted from his usual orange-striped shirt. The parade float itself was large and square-shaped, with a throne on it for Isabella besides Phineas's one. It had a large banner which read 'Let the kids of the future lead today!' and speakers mounted on the float also exhorted people to sign their electronic petition, in the form of a giant list on the raised back of the float. By texting a certain number, the person's name would be added to the petition.

It was a pretty cool system, but Isabella didn't give it much thought. The thought of what Phineas had said about taking over the Tri-State Area didn't cross her mind either. They had spent hours on the parade, while she and Phineas smiled and waved at the crowds of people that had lined up to see them. Phineas had put his hand over hers the whole way. It was so warm! Isabella could feel her hand melting in his, her mind at total bliss... it was a moment she wanted to live in for ever. It had to end though, and after the parade, Phineas and Ferb had gone to City Hall to deal with some formalities to do with taking power, while Isabella stayed behind.

Taking power... the truth of it started to sink in. They were overthrowing Mayor Doofenshmirtz and becoming outright monarchs of the Tri-State Area. This wasn't an ordinary adventure, and the more Isabella thought about it, the more uneasy she felt about the whole thing. She slowly made her way over to Baljeet, who was scribbling something unintelligible on a piece of paper.

"Er, Baljeet? Don't you think it's a little weird?"

He put down his pen and paper and looked at her, slightly confused. "What are you referring to as 'weird' exactly, Isabella?"

She gestured wildly and widely with her arms. "This whole plan to take over the Tri-State Area!" she said exasperatedly. "Have you even thought about it? It seems... evil! That's the word: evil!"

"Maybe it is a little questionable, but you have to admit that the mathematics and logistics of a takeover of the Tri-State Area are fascinating," he said, eyes gleaming. "Plus, if there is ever a theoretical assignment on say, world domination, I will have a head start!

"Now if you will excuse me, Isabella, I have to draft the new laws Phineas and Ferb want to implement. Unless of course-" he looked at her suggestively - "you would rather spend the day gazing deep into my eyes while we engage in a montage of romantic activities?"

"Ew, Baljeet!" Isabella exclaimed, disgusted.

"Ok, ok," he said hastily, as he went back to his scribbling. Isabella awkwardly slid away, leaving him at peace.

_So, I've talked to Baljeet, _she thought. _So that leaves..._ she looked over to where a kid was being wedgied by a certain bully in such a way that the things in the kid's pockets (which included gum, some coins, comically large anvils and a giant floating baby head) were falling out.

Buford had just finished looting his victim, who then scurried away in fright, as Isabella approached him. He chuckled uneasily. "I'll give it back to him later, I swear! I'm only, er, holding it for him. Yeah, that works..."

She glowered at him, but didn't press it further. "Buford, don't you think this whole thing is a little weird?"

"What, you mean the way we're replacing the current mayor and ruling structure by exploiting a deeply buried loophole in official Tri-State Area legal documentation and acquiring the support of a super-majority of the voting demographic? Seems legitimate to me!"

Isabella stared at him, surprised. "So...you're ok with it all?"

"Sure. Ever since I was little I've always wanted to be a politician. You know, with the power to lay down the law and make people's lives miserable. Well, either that or a professional food taster."

"Ok..." Isabella said slowly.

"Not one word about the whole politican thing to the others," Buford said, pleadingly. "I don't want my good reputation to be tarnished."

"Your reputation as the meanest bully?"

"Exactly."

* * *

Some time passed. Isabella had busied herself in the clean-up after the parade; fortunately, this mess wasn't one to clean up itself and it gave her something to distract herself with. The clean-up was nearly done when she got a call.

"Hey Phineas, whatcha dooin?" she said as she answered the call.

"Hey Isabella," he said on the other end. "We were just making some modifications to City Hall. I think you'll like what we've done with the place."

"Oh? What kind of modifications?"

"It's a surprise. You'll have to come down and see it right away!"

Not for the first time that day, it took all of Isabella's strength not to squeal aloud in delight. _He was planning a surprise for me! _"Eh, sure, I'll come down. You know, after I'm done here and all."

"Excellent. See you when you get here!"

Isabella didn't hang around at parade clean-up for long after that.


	4. Chapter 4: Plans

**I called this chapter 'Plans' as that's what everybody's doing, I suppose :S**

**Anyway, it doesn't matter too much. Read on!**

* * *

The TV news programme continued narrating the story about uniquely shaped apples. Doofenshmirtz sat slouching dejectedly in his chair wearing only his underpants and gown, coffee mug in one hand and the TV remote in the other. His eyes were blurry and red, set in a tired-looking face which barely registered the news.

"How would you like your broccoli stew, sir?" Norm asked cheerily from the kitchen.

"You know Norm, I don't even have the energy to make a witty remark. Even though I totally could," Doofenshmirtz muttered. "Make it however you want."

"Yes sir!" Norm replied. He emptied several cans of cola into the mixture and continued stirring.

"I've been thinking, Norm." Doofenshmirtz sighed heavily. "I put so much time and energy into taking over the Tri-State Area and I've still not succeeded. Maybe I should take a break for a while and focus on another evil hobby of mine. I know!" he said excitedly, sitting up straighter in his chair. "I could take up evil knitting!"

"Knitting, sir?" Norm asked, turning only his head in the direction of Doofenshmirtz. The steam rising from the murky stew would also have made his head turn away. That is, if Norm could smell.

"Due to my extremely dexterous hands I am a fearsome evil knitter and I used to spend a lot of time on it back in Gimmelshtump, although I had to give it up due to, well, the reason makes up a backstory which I'm not getting into. Anyway, with a little practice, I could take over the Tri-State Area Knitting Circuit!"

At that point, a figure burst through the door with a loud crashing sound that made Doofenshmirtz's head pound.

"Argh! Perry the Platypus!" he exclaimed in anger and annoyance, putting the remote down and clutching his head, but coffee mug still in hand. "Do you knock? And what are you even doing here? You've already thwarted me this morning, and unless the Agency is cracking down on slipknots and purling, there's no reason for you to be here!"

Perry merely looked at him, puzzled.

"Well, if it's not to thwart me again, then... hey wait, you brought your toolbox. Does this mean you feel bad for me and want to help re-fix my Inator? I knew you'd one day have a change of- wait a minute, this is going to be like the time you 'helped' me with my Dull and Boring-Inator! Oh no, I am not falling for that again!"

Perry just took the TV remote from the sofa past Doofenshmirtz and turned up the volume. The news programme had moved on to a story about a parade through town. Doofenshmirtz briefly saw people lined up through the streets watching a parade of some children on a float with some strange electronic list on the back, which was filling with names. The news camera then moved on to the reporter who had been commenting on the scene. She continued , talking directly at the camera, as Doofenshmirtz took a sip of his coffee.

"As you can see, they're quite popular. It seems that quite soon, they will have the votes of over two thirds of the population, allowing them to directly bypass elections and become rulers of the Tri-State Area."

"WHAT?" Doofenshmirtz exclaimed in shock, spraying the coffee from his mouth all over the screen as a perfect spit-take. "Take over the Tri-State Area? But, but that's MY job! And now these kids are going to waltz in and gain control? Not if I can help it!"

While Doofenshmirtz was ranting angrily, Perry had headed over to the smouldering remains of the Take Over the Tri-State Area-Inator and started working on restoring the remains. Doofenshmirtz turned to see Perry tinkering away. "I've got it!" he said loudly. "We'll take my _old _Inator and build it in reverse so that it becomes, I don't know, an Anti Take Over-Inator or something. I'm brilliant!

"Hey, wait a minute." Doofenshmirtz sniffed suspiciously, as a foul dark smoke wafted in through the kitchen doorway. "What is that smell?"

There must have been a volatile ingredient among the many Norm had added to the 'broccoli' stew, because it was then that the whole thing exploded. Norm came out of the kitchen, his entire mechanical body covered in a slimy black sludge.

"Lunch is ready, sir!"

* * *

"Come on Stacy, we're nearly at the convention!"

"Can't we take a break?" she said, huffing and puffing as she ran after Candace.

The two of them, along with the Phineas Clone, had crossed most of the Tri-State Area by foot, partly to avoid having to explain why they were travelling with a small boy missing an arm. The consequence was that, while Candace was driven by her instinctive urge to bust and the clone, well, wasn't human, they still had to stop for Stacy to catch her breath, while Candace insisted they keep moving. Finally they had neared the location of the antique convention, which was now just around the corner, and Candace whipped out her phone to call Mom out from the building.

"Mom, we're near the convention. You gotta come outside right away!"

"Alright Candace, there's a break in a couple of minutes, so we can get today's antics done with then."

Candace put the phone down and focused her sight on the building door. "Come on Stacy!" she urged, gesturing her to come over. Then she pointed in the direction of the clone. "And you! Don't go anywhere!"

"Sure Candace," he responded. Stacy was still too out of breath to say anything, and sat at a nearby bench to recover.

A few minutes later, Mom came out and Candace rushed towards her, giggling maniacally. "Go on, Candace. What am I looking at this time?"

"Over there, where Stacy is! It looks exactly like Phineas!" Candace triumphantly pointed in the right way, and Mom peered in that direction, scanning for anything out of the ordinary.

"Candace, you travelled all this way and brought me out here to compare your brother to that?"

Perhaps if Candace had been concentrating a little more closely on the clone, she would've realised that it had been decomposing over the course of the journey, due to the long distance travelling it had done but had not been designed for. On listening to the clone's last response, she would've noticed that it had sounded broken and weak, given that its voice box was losing its structure, and the fact that Stacy had leaned on the Phineas Clone for support at one point also didn't help. The end result was a pile of what looked like compost, which was most definitely not bustable by anyone's definition.

Candace screamed, naturally. Mom, having heard the noise before, knew to merely ignore it. "I'm going back inside. The convention will be over before it gets too dark, so I'll be back in time for dinner."

Saying that, she went back inside. Candace's scream ended shortly after. _She's been working on it, _thought Stacy, noting the reduced scream time compared to other days.

"I just don't understand what happened to that thing," Candace said, sighing.

"I think it mentioned it was made out of pants and carbs or something?" Stacy mused, trying to remember.

"Oh what does it matter?" Candace moaned. "Now Mom will never see what they've done today!"

"Wait a second. That clone was talking about your brothers running for mayor or something, wasn't it?"

The reality slowly dawned on Candace. "Yeah, so if they are mayor at the end of the day, then Mom will see what they've done and can bust them! Stacy you're a genius!"

"Wow thanks Candace! Would you call my Mom and tell her?"

"No time, Stace. We've got to get back to City Hall and make sure Phineas and Ferb stay put!"

"Alright, but we are _definitely _taking a cab this time."

* * *

"Behold, the Anti Take Over The Tri-State Area-Inator!"

The reveal was thoroughly underwhelming, given that the machine was the size and shape of any other ray gun Doofenshmirtz had built before. It was necessary for it to be that size, though, if they were to get close to the brothers and zap them back to normal. It had taken longer than they had hoped for, as the drastic consequences of Norm's 'cooking' had to be dealt with first, but they had still made good time, and the efficiency he and Doofenshmirtz worked together at scared Perry a little.

"You know, we make a good team, Perry the Platypus. We should pair up more often. We could create wonderful Inators together... No? You'd rather destroy the Inators that I build? Well that's a shame. I've always wanted a companion for my evil schemes."

"I'm here for you, sir!" Norm pointed out.

"Quiet, you. Anyway, we'll need a ride to City Hall if we're going to stop those boys from taking control of the Tri-State Area. I know! We can take Norm!"

It was one of Norm's many enigmatic features that he could transform at will into a pick-up truck. Doofenshmirtz didn't pretend to know how or why. He didn't understand the true potential of Squirrel Power when he had originally built Norm, and likely never would.

The three of them made their way outside and Norm transformed to Pick-up Truck Mode. Doofenshmirtz was about to get into the driver's side when Perry indicated he wanted the keys.

"What? YOU want to drive Norm, Perry the Platypus? You can't possibly be qualified! Can you even reach the pedals with your little platypus feet?"

Perry reached into his hat and handed the card he pulled out to Doofenshmirtz.

"What?" he said, shocked. "You have a valid Human-Robot-Truck Driving License? But that's impossible! Those are only made in Gimmelshtump where the driving rules are, well, let's just say that everyone who learns how to drive in Gimmelshtump knows exactly what to do when a Samoan in a whale suit wanders on to the road holding a bucket of paint in one hand and a rubber turkey in the other. Still! Norm is MY robot so I'm driving him, and that's final!"

Doofenshmirtz neglected to mention that _his _HRTDL had expired last week.

* * *

Isabella made her way over to City Hall and was slightly confused by the way it still looked, well, normal. She had expected Phineas and Ferb to have made massive modifications to the building, turning it into something unforgettable and fun, but it appeared that not a single brick had been changed.

"Ah, Isabella!" a voice called out from a window above her. "C'mon in!"

It was Phineas. "Ok," Isabella called back, and she went in through the large doors. Surprisingly, Phineas was already there.

"You got down here fast," she said, smiling. "I take it you've given the inside of this place the classic Flynn-Fletcher makeover?" The brightly coloured slide by which he had descended from the floor above was visible from where she was standing.

"Yeah," he said, full of enthusiasm. "We couldn't do the outside because of the pesky zoning laws, but we're working on it. Still, I think we've done well with the space we had. Wanna see?"

"Of course!"

"Then follow me, milady." Phineas extended his hand to Isabella's, who took it, blushing slightly. He led her towards the elevator on the right, which also looked unchanged, and they stepped into it. The doors closed and Phineas pushed the button to take them to the first floor.

"So, what cool things does this elevator do?"

"Actually, it doesn't do anything," Phineas admitted apologetically. "We're waiting on some parts."

They soon arrived at the first floor and as the door opened Isabella gasped as she saw what was on it. There were animals of many different kinds, each peacefully doing what they would naturally do, from cows chewing on the grass underfoot to monkeys swinging from vine to vine overhead. Isabella noticed a small brown squirrel by her foot, and bent to stroke its fur.

"It's so cute!" she said, smiling widely as she brushed its fluffy tail. The squirrel seemed perfectly friendly and unperturbed by the human touch, seeming to enjoy it.

"Are you Isabella?" it asked.

"They can talk?" Isabella asked Phineas, taken by surprise. She certainly wasn't expecting speech from the tiny animal, although she continued to stroke it.

"Yeah. We enhanced their intelligence and then they learned to coexist with each other peacefully and independently. Me and Ferb would talk to them, mostly about the awesome stuff we've done with you and the rest of the gang, and they learned how to talk by imitating us. Pretty cool huh?"

"They're amazing," Isabella said happily, looking at the squirrel, which had now climbed up and perched onto her head.

"We used to live in another building somewhere in the Tri-State Area, but today Phineas and Ferb brought us all over here, because there's more space and the facilities are better," the squirrel squeaked.

"And it was about time they did. You should've seen the last place we were holed up," a voice called, from further in the room. It was a goat and it was looking at them with an irritated expression as if disturbed by their presence. Its knees seemed weak as its legs were shaking slightly.

"It was a right dump! Smelled awful, I tell ya. Ya couldn't walk through it without having ta block your nose 'cause of the stink."

Phineas winced a little."That's Beardy, one of the old goats. He's a little... senile. We should move on."

They said their goodbyes to the animals and, well, most of them responded cheerfully urging them to come and visit again soon. They went back into the elevator and headed to the second floor.

"The second floor is a little strange, but, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time..." Phineas trailed off.

"What do you mean?"

The elevator doors opened to reveal a large office-like structure of rooms, the floor divided into sections. In one section, several people were poring over a slew of pages covering a large table, pointing things out and making changes to it. In another section, there were several monkeys sitting at what appeared to be typewriters. There was also a small mysterious room in the corner.

"This is the Breaking the 4th Wall Floor," Phineas explained.

"Then those guys over there are..."

"Yeah, they're the writers for this story! Hey guys!"

"Hey Phineas, and Isabella!" they all responded together, stopping their work to talk to them.

The pair walked over to the writers. _This is weird, _thought Isabella. _If they're the writers, can they tell what I'm thinking? Do they know what's going to happen next, like if I'll get a special moment with Phineas today... _she inadvertently looked downwards at the papers already on the table.

"Come on Isabella, we knew you were coming, so do you think we'd leave the rest of the story lying around for you to sneak a peek at?" said one of the writers, grinning in a friendly way. "And yes, we do know what's going to happen and what you're thinking. Roughly, anyway. Well, we know exactly what's already happened and roughly what's about to... we're still working on it."

The other writers chuckled. "Yeah, we know you're trying to find out about your scene with Ph-" said one, and was interrupted by the others who nudged him hard in the side and tried subtly to remind him Phineas was standing right there. "with, er, futons. Yeah," the writer finished sheepishly. "Futons."

"Geez, how did you know," said Isabella, slightly miffed at the near slip-up. As usual, Phineas took it at face value. "A scene with a futon? Do I take Isabella to the Futon Room?"

"No, you guys don't go there. You do go to see the Cloning Room though.."

"Cool, thanks!"

"Anytime, Phineas. You did hook us up with this space to stay at after all."

Phineas and Isabella went to see the monkeys typing diligently away. Isabella took a peek at what they were typing, and saw a few lines.

"_Anytime, Phineas. You did hook us up with this space after all."_

_Phineas and Isabella went to see the monkeys typing diligently away. Isabella took a peek at what they were typing, and saw a few lines._

She couldn't see the rest. _They're typing up what's happening? _she thought. "What exactly are these monkeys doing, Phineas?"

"Well, from what I gather, they type up this story, then scan it into the internet, to be read. Then they download the scanned file from the internet, print that off, and start typing it up again. I'm not exactly sure why they do it, but they seem happy."

"Weird. Then that leaves that small room. What's in there?"

They reached the room and Phineas pushed open the door.

"It's the person reading this story as we speak." There the reader was, absorbed by reading the story on the device at hand.

"Why won't you give more details about the reader or what the device is?" the reader muttered, to nobody in particular.

"Usually we just leave this door locked," Phineas explained, closing the door on the way out. "Well, we have time to see one last room."

They made their way to the elevator while Isabella was trying to get her head around the mysterious Breaking the 4th Wall floor. Once the elevator stopped and they stepped out, they were in a large space; the ceiling was high and there was a large production line taking up the majority of the area. It was surrounded by short men in lab coats, who were tinkering with various parts of it, while others were experimenting to the side with various chemicals in strange glass bottles.

"This is the Clone Room," Phineas announced.

Isabella felt slightly uneasy about the whole place, but wasn't sure why. She looked closely and realised for a start that all of the scientists looked identical. It took a moment for it to click: they were all Baljeet!

"The clones worked quite well for spreading the word about our parade, so we thought we'd extend their use to work in general."

The production line was rolling off scores of Phineas, Ferb, Baljeet and Buford Clones. They were eerily expressionless, unlike the Phineas and Ferb Clones they had made earlier in the day, which had adopted more of their progenitors' friendly attitudes. These ones barely resembled their real counterparts. They looked considerably more ominous than their appearances as kids suggested.

"The Phineas and Ferb Clones are for general work and production, the Baljeet Clones are for law-drafting and research, and the Buford Clones are for keeping order," Phineas continued, oblivious to Isabella's growing unease. "We only made Baljeet and Buford Clones, though, because they asked for it. Baljeet said something about wanting help and only trusting himself, while Buford just wanted more 'him's. We can make clones of you too, if you'd like?"

"No thanks," Isabella managed to say. _What is happening? It all feels wrong, but Phineas and everyone are going along with it as if it was a normal Big Idea! What do I do?_

"So, what do you think, Isabella? We've got a ton more ideas for this place, but also for the Tri-State Area as a whole. Who knows, maybe now that we're rulers of Danville, we can aim for the world!"

"Phineas, I-"

She was interrupted by Ferb, who had just appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He was carrying an extremely ancient-looking scroll.

"Hold that thought, Isabella. Ferb, is that the amended form of the Tri-State Area legislation? Let's take a look!"

The new laws they had drafted _really _made Isabella uncomfortable.

* * *

Whether the travelling trio of evil scientist, secret platypus agent and robot in truck form seemed weird to the police officer, he didn't show it. He had indicated for Doofenshmirtz to pull over and then walked up to his window, a stern look in his eyes.

"Excuse me sir," he said to Doofenshmirtz. "May I see your Human-Robot-Truck Driving License?"

"Not one word from you, Perry the Platypus," said Doofenshmirtz sourly, arms folded, to Perry a few minutes later. Perry was now driving, and his grin was still a mile wide. "I know you can't talk, but still: not one word."


	5. Chapter 5: Convergence

**And this chapter is called 'Convergence' because, well, they all converge. At City Hall. **

***flees***

* * *

Candace had texted Mom letting her know that they'd all be at City Hall by the evening and after that she appeared to be at ease, but it didn't fool Stacy for a second. After what had seemed like way past 104 attempted busts, Stacy knew from experience that underneath the calm exterior lay a frantic, mad manifestation of Candace's busting urges, which would inevitably bubble over the surface.

Sure enough, the cab was brought unexpectedly to a halt at a junction and Candace erupted in her impatience. "Why have we stopped? At this rate we'll never make it! Keep the cab moving, mister!"

"I cannot," the cab driver retorted, pointing towards the humanoid truck hurtling crazily across the intersection, while being driven by what appeared to be a pharmacist in a white lab coat. His screams as he tried in vain to keep control of the truck decreased in volume as it headed off into the distance, leaving a mess of traffic in the truck's wake.

"What a crazy guy," the cab driver said in frustration. "Does he even have a valid Human-Robot-Truck Driving License?"

"What?" Candace asked, confused.

"Candace, look outside!" Stacy exclaimed, her face still pressed against the car window.

Candace's face dropped. To the left, a factory stood tall, smoke billowing from its many chimneys. The words 'Factory-Unit-Producing Factory' were written plainly on the large sign attached to the central face of the factory, although its meaning was anything but plain until she looked to the other side at a partially constructed factory, with building components and machinery for the right side factory being brought over from the left side one.

What made it ominous was the presence of the Buford Clones. Each was taller and more menacing than the boy himself, each had imposing dark law enforcement uniforms, and each was standing on guard watching the workers' every move. One of them stopped for a break and a clone barked at him to get back to work, in a deep rough voice which incited fear in the man as he hurriedly headed back into the building. Looking up and down the street, the girls saw similar clones overseeing more fearful workers, who were quickly fulfilling their individual roles in the task that was constructing a new factory. Before their eyes, the new building was increasing in height and was nearing completion.

"Why are all these clones of Buford around? Why is everyone working like that? What's happening!?" Candace shouted.

"Why it's simple," the cab driver responded, as he put the cab into gear and started driving again. "The reign of our new kings and queen is being put into place."

"Kings and queen? You mean Isabella and my brothers?"

"Oh? You're Candace Flynn? Yes, your brothers are in charge now. Look, there's the site for their new statue." Sure enough, they drove past the area where many workers, again being observed closely by Buford Clones, were working together on producing pieces that were evidently going to fit together as massive sculptures of the three kid monarchs. The conclusion was inevitable.

"Candace..."

"Yeah Stacy. I thought my brothers were up to something crazy just like every other day, but this is serious! You, driver! Get us to City Hall, fast!"

"Excuse me, missy?" the driver said, staring at her in the mirror.

"Get us to City Hall fast please?"

"Better." He turned the corner then pulled in to the side of the road. "And we're here."

"Alright Stacy, let's clean this mess up!"

"Yeah!" said Stacy. They paid the fare and rushed out of the cab towards City Hall.

To their surprise, Buford was at the entrance. He too was in some weird uniform and was writing stuff on a clipboard. He looked up and moved to block their entrance.

"Name?" he asked formally.

"It's me!" Candace said.

"Me who?"

"I'm Candace. Candace Flynn?"

"Sorry, you're not on the list. You should've made an appointment yesterday."

"They weren't even in charge yesterday!"

Buford was resolute. "Well according to the new rules, nobody sees the INSANE without permission."

"Wait, what?"

"Have you guys been in a cab or something all this time?" Buford removed a large, old-looking parchment from his pocket and unravelled it, the bottom of the scroll extending down the steps of City Hall. "According to the constitution of the Tri-State Area, Section 3, Paragraph 2 after 'The Amendment of the New Monarchs': At all times, the new rulers must be mentioned with the title 'Incredibly Noble Sovereigns Also of Notable Excellency', or 'INSANE', for short. "

"Wow, that is insane," Stacy commented.

"That's correct."

"Ugh! Whatever Buford, but I'm their sister! I demand that you let us in!"

"Hm, an appeal to 'Section 5 Paragraph 3 after the New Amendment: Our sister, Candace Flynn, and her friends can come and see the cool stuff we're doing whenever she wants'?" Buford said, glaring at them. Then he shrugged. "Eh, alright, but I'll be escorting you inside to make sure there's no funny business. Wait here while I inform the INSANE of your request."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Stacy said to Candace worriedly as Buford went inside to talk to Phineas and Ferb.

"Yeah," replied Candace. "But we've not got another choice. Besides, what's the worst my brothers can do?"

* * *

Perry and Doofenshmirtz had made surprisingly good time despite both Doofenshmirtz's driving period, in which they had travelled completely tangent to the right direction until they were stopped, and heading by the gas station to refuel Norm, who had run low after the aforementioned crazy driving. Doofenshmirtz had to admit that for a foot-tall semi-aquatic mammal, Perry the Platypus sure knew how to put the pedal to the metal. They pulled up in a side road some distance from City Hall.

"Hey, Perry the Platypus, why are we stopping so far away?" Doofenshmirtz asked, confused.

Perry pointed emphatically towards the side and back of City Hall, garnering no positive response from Doofenshmirtz. Then Perry tried indicating his plan with a series of hand motions, with again no response. Five minutes later they were still in Truck-Norm, and Perry had drawn out a battle map on some paper mapping out the plan in detail, while Doofenshmirtz peered at it, concentrating hard.

"Ok ok, I think I get what the plan is, but how does my apartment building and that triangle come into it?" Perry gave him a lidded stare. "What?"

"I don't think either of those are a factor, sir!" Truck-Norm said.

"Oh really? Then _why _did Perry the Platypus draw them then, huh, Mr. Wise Truck?"

"I believe those two are the Incredibly Noble Sovereigns Also of Notable Excellency, sir."

"Ohhhh," Doofenshmirtz said, finally realising. "Wow, that title those kids have is insane!"

"Yes, yes it is."

Perry gave a signal that they should move out. Doofenshmirtz put his game face on, which caused Perry to grimace, and they both stepped out of Truck-Norm. Perry started to observe City Hall from a distance before they embarked.

"Ok Norm, you wait here, and don't move until we get back." Doofenshmirtz said, sternly.

"But dad, I want to come with you! I can help!" Norm said, hopeful of the chance to accompany them.

"I am not your father!" Doofenshmirtz scolded. "And beside that, do you remember what happened last time you came along?"

They both shared a flashback in which Doofenshmirtz was in the middle of grocery shopping. _Oh great, _Doofenshmirtz had said, in the store. _I left my wallet in Truck-Norm outside... _at which point the huge humanoid robot had crashed through the walls of the store, sending things like fruit and potato chip packets everywhere, as he travelled linearly towards Doofenshmirtz. _Here's your wallet, sir! _Norm had said, wallet indeed in his outstretched arm.

"They charged me for the damages! No, this time you stay here!"

Norm's smile literally flipped upside down. "Yes sir," he said dejectedly, a black oily tear leaking out of his eye.

Perry waved Doofenshmirtz over, and they set off towards City Hall. Perry effortlessly weaved his way through the thorny garden adjacent to City Hall, while Doofenshmirtz just about managed to get through, with considerably less elegance than Perry. Doofenshmirtz finally caught up to Perry, with the former panting hard, covered in thorns while a raccoon clung defiantly to the back of Doofenshmirtz's lab coat until he shook it off.

The door was locked. "Not a problem," Doofenshmirtz declared, taking the ray gun-like Inator from an inside pocket and fiddling with it. "I'll simply set the Anti Take Over-Inator to 'vaporise' and..." He then fired at the door, replacing it instantly with ash and revealing the corridor into the building. "Let's do this thing! Team Doofenshmirtz go!"

Perry rolled his eyes at the name as they entered the domain of Phineas and Ferb.

* * *

"Alright, the INSANE have given their permission, so I'll take you to them. But no poking around!"

Candace and Stacy followed Buford through the building to a grand door. Atop the door was a neat, golden sign saying 'Throne Room'. Buford, after slight pause, pushed open the door and they entered.

"I have brought the subjects as requested, your INSANEnesses," Buford announced, bowing to Isabella, Phineas and Ferb, who were not actually sitting on the large majestic thrones but were inspecting some object on display.

Stacy looked around at the massive space. The purple carpet was soft and fluffy and the walls had elegant tapestries covering them, with historic artefacts preserved in glass display cases along the sides. She went up for a closer look.

"Wow," Stacy said, peering at one of the display cases. "Is that really the key to the city of Atlantis?"

"Yeah," Phineas replied. "We got it as a gift when we went there earlier in the summer. In fact a lot of things here are things we just didn't have the space to put anywhere other than the basement, until now."

"Wait a minute," Candace interjected. "You're telling me all this stuff has been in our basement for the whole summer!?"

"Well, yeah, pretty much."

"Like this rock from Mars?"

"Yup."

"And this 'Pandora's Box'?

"I wouldn't advise getting too close to that, Candace."

"And is this a miniature black hole?"

"Yeah. Isn't it cool?"

Candace was still struggling with the implications. "So I could've busted you for any of this stuff by simply taking Mom down to the basement?" she asked, eye twitching.

"I suppose Mom would have seen it all. I wonder what she would've thought," Phineas pondered.

Candace knew exactly what Mom would have done. Mom would've busted the boys so hard they'd never build anything again. And the bust would've been so easy! And then she could've had the whole summer to do what she wanted! She began to shake uncontrollably; the thought was too much to bear. The greatest busting opportunity had been right under her nose all this time and now it had just vanished!

_Uh oh, _thought Stacy, turning to see Candace having her meltdown. "Candace? Candace! Remember what we're here for!" she said as she shook Candace by the shoulders.

"Right right, thanks Stacy," she said, calming down. She turned to face the kids sitting at their thrones. "We came to put a stop to this!"

"Put a stop to what?" Phineas asked.

"You know!" Candace said, waving her arms around wildly. "This! Everything! Forcing people to work for you! Having statues built of yourself!"

"What's wrong with those?" Phineas asked, puzzled. "Productivity is up 30%, and the statues were the City Council's idea to promote our image. Besides, public opinion is about as high as it was when Mayor Doofenshmirtz was around."

"So you see nothing wrong with taking over the Tri-State Area like this? You guys need to stop being crazy and put things back to how they were!"

"Sorry Candace, but we're not gonna do that," Phineas said, apologetically. "There's a ton of stuff we've still got to do, like paperwork. Admittedly it's a little boring, but someone needs to do it."

"ARGH! YOU'RE INSANE!" Candace shouted in frustration.

"Why thank you," Phineas said.

Candace facepalmed. "Not INSANE! Insane!"

"Well, it was all in caps," Ferb pointed out.

"Anyway, since you guys are protesting our rule, we have to punish you according to the new laws we drafted," Phineas said, frowning.

Candace stopped fuming. "Wait, what?"

"Ohh no," Stacy said. "I can't afford to go to jail. I do NOT look good in prison clothes!"

"Don't worry Stacy, you won't be going to jail," Phineas reassured her.

"Oh, that's a relief," she said happily. Unfortunately, the happiness was short-lived.

"You'll be going to the Incredibly Cool Torturous Dungeon of Doom we had built!"

"What?" Candace and Stacy both said, jaws dropping.

Phineas went on to explain enthusiastically. "It's got all sorts of different areas. The first is the feather chamber!"

He produced a hand-held remote and a screen descended from the ceiling. On it, a man was shown fully tied down by strong ropes to a board. Tears were rolling down his face, as he struggled to get free, while a large, fearsome dungeon guard approached him. _No, not that! Take my kids, my wife, my watermelon, anything but that! _the man screamed in vain, tears of laughter/pain in his eyes, as the guard mercilessly tickled his feet with the feather in hand.

"And the pun-ishment corner has shown good results," Phineas continued.

The screen changed to displayed a stage with on which there was only a comedian in front of a microphone stand and along with a drummer and drum kit. There were several seats, with people strapped into them so they were unable to move. The comedian produced a piece of paper and read aloud: _What do you call Santa's Little Helpers? _Again the unwilling audience protested and shouted in vain. _Subordinate Clauses! _finished the comedian, and he smiled broadly as the _ba-dum-tish _of the drum kit were drowned out by the painful groans of the audience, who struggled against their restraints as the comedian started another pun.

"And there's also the section where people are forced to do menial and repetitive office work until they question their very existence and purpose of life and go insane. Early studies suggest that's the most horrible and crippling kind of torture yet!" Phineas pressed the button again and the screen slid back up into the ceiling.

"Phineas, Ferb, you guys are so busted!" Candace shouted, as she lunged forward at them, but a small force of Buford Clones had entered the room and grabbed her by the arms from behind, while other clones restrained Stacy.

At this time, something started beeping in Ferb's pocket. He took it out and stared at it briefly, then slipped away silently. The clones, meanwhile, started dragging an heavily protesting and flailing Candace and the more compliant Stacy out towards the Incredibly Cool Torturous Dungeon of Doom.

"Oh!" Stacy exclaimed, as they were being dragged away. "Subordinate clauses! I get it!"

* * *

_Weird, _thought Perry, as he and Doofenshmirtz neared a turn in the corridor they were heading down. _We've not encountered any of those clones running around. There should have been some responsible for security..._

Unbeknownst to Perry, they had been picked up by hidden cameras and an intruder alert had been sent quite a while ago, to a certain green-haired monarch's security device. Doofenshmirtz, however, was completely oblivious to considerations of security, and peeked his head around the corner before pulling back quickly. "There's one of those kids, on his own!" he whispered excitedly, to Perry. "The one with the green hair! I'm going to jump out and hit him with the Anti Take Over-Inator, just like we planned."

Perry hesitated slightly. _Sounds like it's Ferb. It'll be easier to handle the two brothers separately, so we had better take this chance._ He then nodded to Doofenshmirtz, and started to count down on his fingers. _Three, two one..._

They both jumped out, Doofenshmirtz unleashing his battle cry and firing the ray gun in the direction of the kid.

Perry's heart stopped. As he leapt out, he saw a flash of green hair, a magenta burst of light... and then a smouldering pile of ash.

_What?_

"Oh, it seems the Anti-Take Over Inator was still set on vaporise," Doofenshmirtz said, guiltily. "Oh well, the boy has been removed as a threat to my plans to take over the Tri-State Area, so no harm done. One to go!"

Perry's eyes were still wide in shock. _I- I don't believe it... Ferb is gone? _Perry took a couple of shaky steps forward and knelt beside the grey remains, stretching his hand towards them and blinking back a tear. _How will I ever look the family in the eyes again? What'll the Agency do to me?_

_How could I let Doofenshmirtz do this?_

Doofenshmirtz was thinking aloud, oblivious to the turmoil Perry was going through. "Hm, you know what, Perry the Platypus, I don't think the ray even vaporised that boy. I think it merely transported him to some other dimension. I wonder what kind of dimension he was sent to?" Doofenshmirtz tinkered with the Anti Take Over-Inator a little, as thoughts rushed through Perry's desperate mind.

_Ferb's in another dimension? Then there's a chance he's safe! I just need to put together the Other Dimension Inator, and go to bring him back! _Deep in his mind, the chance lurked that the ash running through Perry's little hands was really all that was left of the boy...

_No! He's safe, I know it! _Perry's brain barely noted the approaching clones as he started desperately working out the details required to rescue Ferb. _I'll have to keep Doofenshmirtz on a short leash, because if he gets into the Second Dimension again there'll be trouble, and also I'll need to have a mind wipe arranged for Ferb when he gets back in case he learns anything. I'll need to get the plan approved. Perhaps I can get backup from the Agency, but there'll be no other agent that could come. What about Carl? Perhaps Monogram will-_

"Hey, do you hear something?" Doofenshmirtz said, looking up from the Anti Take Over-Inator to an army of clones, which were steadily surrounding them. "I think we're in trouble, Perry the Platypus!"

Perry snapped out of his thoughts and backed up towards Doofenshmirtz slowly as the clones closed in on them from the corridor directions.

"I hope you've got a plan, Perry the Platypus! I don't have an Inator setting for this!"

* * *

Candace and Stacy were removed from the Throne Room by the Buford Security Clones, and the real Buford escorted them out, leaving the Throne Room empty of people.

Apart from Phineas and Isabella.

They were standing now, in the middle of the room, a pleasant tune being hummed gently in the background by the speaker systems. Phineas took Isabella by the hands and turned to face her fully, looking deep into her eyes, smiling softly while the rest of the world seemed to fade away.

"Isabella, we're finally alone..."


	6. Chapter 6: Resolution

**And now for the resolution! I hope you're as excited now as I was when I finally wrote this!**

* * *

Doofenshmirtz and Perry were standing back to back as the assortment of clones blocked their pathways. Perry bit his lip. _We can't fight our way through all of these clones, not with only a single ray gun between us. They've obviously got us outnumbered._

_So why aren't they attacking?_

The clones seemed to be awaiting orders. Nobody moved for a few moments. Perry wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, and as he looked behind at Doofenshmirtz he noticed he was drenched in sweat. _Is it even possible to sweat that much? _Perry mused, noting how oddly detached from the situation he felt.

Then on one side, the clones parted and Perry's heart skipped a beat.

"Hey wait, I thought I vaporised that one?" Doofenshmirtz said in shock and surprise, as he nearly dropped the ray gun in hand.

_That wonderful dummkopf Doofenshmirtz vaporised a Ferb Clone and didn't realise it! _Tears of joy and relief welled up in Perry's eyes, and he was almost about to run towards Ferb before he caught himself at the last moment and dropped to all fours, hat disappearing out of sight.

The clones rushed in to apprehend Doofenshmirtz, who was still fumbling with the ray gun. He managed to point it on target but Ferb was too fast, launching a spanner with surprising accuracy at the Anti Take Over-Inator and knocking it clean out of Doofenshmirtz's hands. Several clones grabbed Doofenshmirtz by the arms as he struggled in vain to break out of their grip.

"Oh there you are Perry," said Ferb, as he noticed Perry at the side and walked over to pick him up. Perry snuggled happily against his chest.

"Perry?" said Doofenshmirtz, confused by the sudden appearance of the mysterious platypus. He then looked around. "Come to think of it, where has Perry the Platypus gone? Has he really left me all alone to be thrown into the dungeon? No, I- I don't believe he would abandon me like this!"

Perry snapped back to the reality of the situation, and realised what he had to do. He wriggled out of Ferb's hands, as the clones indicated towards Doofenshmirtz asking what they should do with him.

"Take him to the Incredibly Cool Torturous Dungeon of Doom!" Ferb declared, ominously. "There his mind will be shattered, his body broken, his soul crushed by the never-ending punishments that await him, while the realisation that despair will be his eternal destiny drives him to insanity and he meets his miserable end!"

There was a pause. "Wow. That was really evil!" Doofenshmirtz exclaimed, visibly terrified. Then it finally dawned on him. "Heyy, you kids were hit with my Take Over The Tri-State Area Inator, weren't you! That means my Inator worked!"

Ferb blinked at him a couple of times, not entirely sure what the pharmacist had meant.

"I'm feeling such an odd mixture of pride and mortal terror!" Doofenshmirtz shouted as the clones started to drag him away. "Perry the Platypus! Save me, wherever you are!"

From behind Ferb, Perry charged the ray gun, triple-checking the setting it was on. He had sneaked up innocently on the Inator when he wriggled away, and now fired it at Ferb, a powerful red beam erupting from the Inator and engulfing its target. Ferb began to convulse violently, causing Perry to wince and turn away as Ferb writhed in pain, until the glow subsided and he fell unconscious.

Perry sighed; it was done. Ferb looked unhurt, almost peaceful, as he lay on the ground. The clones stopped dragging Doofenshmirtz away and started to mutter among themselves and shrug at one another as they considered the consequences of one of their progenitors being struck unconscious, and Perry relaxed his grip on the ray gun. As he did so, he heard a click, and it started shaking violently in his hand.

"I'm not sure exactly who you are or where you came from, platypus, but I think you activated the self-destruct button on that Inator!"

Perry's eyes widened as he noticed in a precious split second that his thumb had released the self-destruct button. Instinctively he rushed towards a clone and punched a hole in it as hard as he could, the slightly toughened but still penetrable organic matter bruising his hand slightly, and he then shoved the ray gun into the clone and dived rapidly out of the way. Then the ray gun exploded, sending chunks of clone in all directions.

Doofenshmirtz stared, utterly perplexed by the semi-aquatic mammal in front of him that casually stood up and brushed itself down after handling a close-range blast. "I just don't get it! How did you react so quickly to that self-destructing Inator?"

Perry rolled his eyes and then, in a way that will remain forever unexplained, he produced his fedora and whipped it neatly onto his head. Doofenshmirtz gasped audibly, in genuine surprise.

"Perry the Platypus!" He saw Perry facepalm. "What?"

Demandingly, Perry pointed at the burning remains of the clone which had been set on fire by the heat of the explosion. "Oh that? Ok, _maybe_ I could've found a better place for the self-destruct button than on the handle of the Inator," he said apologetically. Perry was still staring at him, unsatisfied. "Oh come on, Perry the Platypus! I can't just NOT have a self-destruct button on an Inator, it makes no sense!"

Perry sighed and took stock of the situation. _Well, we've hopefully fixed Ferb, and that fire in the corner will be put out by the building's fire extinguishing system. These clones seem at a loss as to what to do, too, so we should be able to ignore them. That leaves Phineas, but with the Inator destroyed, how will we turn him back to normal? Well, there was that prototype model we built that's still back at Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated, but who knows if that'll work?_

At that point, the clones sprang into action again, seeming to decide that they would finish their original mission of flinging the intruders into the dungeon, and to them there was one intruder to take away: Doofenshmirtz. They continued dragging him away at a quicker pace than before.

"Argh, Perry the Platypus! Save me!" Doofenshmirtz cried out as they took him away, reaching out towards Perry before his arm was restrained by another clone.

Perry too reached towards Doofenshmirtz, worry in his eyes, as his nemesis disappeared down the corridor in a rushing sea of clones all rushing to surround Doofenshmirtz and take him away. Then Perry shook his head, trying to clear away the scenes he had just been put through. He needed to focus on the task in hand. He carefully moved Ferb to the side out of any harm's way and started to head down the corridor in the other direction towards the room where Phineas would be, the worry in his eyes turning into his trademark steely determination.

_I'll definitely think of a plan!_

* * *

After Ferb had brought the Tri-State Area legislation amendments to Phineas and Isabella in the Clone Room and they had taken a look, Phineas started talking excitedly to Ferb about some other details and plans. This gave Isabella a little time to collect her muddled thoughts. On the one hand, they were taking over the Tri-State Area, and it was almost cliché in how evil that was. The new rules they had put into place seemed to be even more evidence of it. People had to refer to them with a special title, and they couldn't question the new system, and people's affairs were fully in their control.

But on the other hand, there was Phineas.

It seemed the whole day was just like any other project to him, and it was really shaking her confidence that he wasn't taking it as being anything out of the ordinary_. _And had he ever been wrong before? Was the gleam in his eyes today was the same one Isabella had become so familiar with over the summer, the gleam of determination and enthusiasm, which challenged and conquered the impossible in the attempt to make the most every single day? It seemed that there was something about him that Isabella couldn't quite place. Was it maniacal insanity? Inspired genius? Innocence, or evil? She really couldn't say, and as uncomfortable as she was with how things were going, she felt even more uncomfortable speaking out against them when she just couldn't get a handle on the situation.

And of course, the idea of being able to stay side by side with Phineas forever lurked dangerously and temptingly in the corners of her mind...

"Isabella? Are you OK?" Phineas had asked, concerned. Isabella realised her face was fraught with worry, and she attempted to relax and smile. Her thoughts would have to wait.

"Sure Phineas, I'm fine," she said, through a painful smile. It hadn't felt very convincing. Phineas paused for a moment, studying her, but it was at that point that Buford had entered and informed them that a 'Stacy' and 'Can-dace' had arrived to see them, and so they had headed down to the Throne Room to await their arrival.

Isabella was grateful to hear that Candace had come to visit; she liked Candace, and they hadn't talked in a while. It'd be nice to have someone to explain her thoughts to about the whole situation, and although Candace seemed somehow biased against her brothers Isabella was sure that she would have something insightful to say about the recent happenings. She must love her brothers deep down after all, right?

She wasn't going to get her one to one chat as it would turn out, and in between Candace's ranting, Phineas' cheerful (and strangely sinister) description of the Incredibly Cool Torturous Dungeon of Doom, and the clones dragging Candace and Stacy away, Isabella heard some things which piled more food for thought on her already full plate.

"_We came to put a stop to this!"_

"_Put a stop to what?" Phineas asked._

"_You know!" Candace said, waving her arms around wildly. "This! Everything! Forcing people to work for you! Having statues built of yourself!" _

"_What's wrong with those?" Phineas asked, puzzled. "Productivity is up 30%, and the statues was the City Council's idea to promote our image. Besides, public opinion is about as high as it was when Mayor Doofenshmirtz was around."_

In fact, earlier that day, Phineas and Ferb had gone around turning working conditions into enjoyable and crazy experiences for people all over the Tri-State Area, as Phineas had mentioned to her earlier. What if they had missed places where the condition was bad? Then were the public opinion polls taken before that, or afterwards? Besides, after Phineas and Ferb needed to get back to City Hall they had left Buford and his Buford Clones responsible for overseeing the Tri-State Area's workers, and, well, it looked like Buford took his job seriously. Really seriously.

And of course it was possible, maybe even probable, that all of that was wrong and actually nearly everyone WAS perfectly happy with the way things were going. At least, it was always like that with any day's Big Idea, so the question was really whether this one was any different. Isabella rubbed her forehead unconsciously. She felt that she was missing something important, some way of thinking about it that would make it all clear.

Then she looked up and realised with a shock that she was alone in the room with Phineas. The wall clock struck on the hour it played a surprisingly gentle and romantic tune through the speakers, setting a scene similar to one she had envisioned so many times before. She felt her hands melting as Phineas took them in his. He looked directly at her, deeply at her, with his signature smile, and her eyes and heart melted too, all thoughts becoming suddenly impossible to focus on as she smiled faintly back at him.

"Isabella, we're finally alone..."

Her heart pounded, so loudly she thought Phineas could hear it.

"...Shall we plan world conquest together?"

And in that moment, scene after scene came to her in a flash.

Phineas and Ferb helping Candace with her driving. Phineas and Ferb getting Love Handel together for their parents. Phineas and Ferb helping Buford find Biff. Phineas and Ferb helping Baljeet with Mishti. Phineas and Ferb helping Meap to capture Mitch. Phineas and Ferb turning a rainy day into a chance to earn outdoor patches. Phineas making her ice cream after her tonsils were taken out. Phineas taking the whole day to cure her hiccups. Phineas creating a rainbow in the sky for her.

Was the Phineas she had seen today really that same Phineas as the one from the beginning of summer?

"No," Isabella said softly.

"What?" Phineas asked, a little thrown by what he thought was a negative response to his question.

"No! We are not going to take over the planet!"

"Well why not?"

"Phineas, this is all wrong. You can't just make us rulers of the Tri-State Area like this! You can't just force people to do what you say!"

"But Isabella, what about all the plans we've made today, and think of all the things we can do with the whole Tri-State Area in our hands!"

"Well that's not the Phineas that I know and love- er, to spend time on projects with! The old you would do things for fun and make the most of every day. What reason is there to take over the world with an army of spooky clones?"

Phineas turned his face away from her, scratching his ear uncomfortably. "I, I don't know. Me and Ferb both suddenly thought of it this morning, and..."

"I know this isn't you. The real you is in there somewhere! Come on, snap out of it, Phineas!"

"I- I'm not-" He turned away from her fully now, clutching his head in pain.

"Phineas?" Isabella was flooded by pure worry. _What was happening to him?_

"Argh!"

"Phineas!"

She rushed towards him and grabbed him by both shoulders, turning him to face her. His eyes were blank and unfocused, and he felt unusually weak in her arms.

"Don't worry Phineas, I've got you! It's going to be OK!"

She then realised how close together their faces were. Phineas groaned weakly in her arms- did he lean forward a fraction?

"Isabella," he murmured faintly.

"Oh Phineas..."

And then, caught up in the moment in a flurry of emotions, she kissed him.

* * *

Perry was rapidly brainstorming ideas that could break the effects of the Take Over the Tri-State Area-Inator as he rushed through the corridors looking for Phineas. He was considering the idea of returning to Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated to retrieve the prototype Anti-Take Over Inator as he burst into a room filled with animals that quickly gathered to inspect his human-like pose, focused expression and dashing fedora. He discounted the plan as too time-consuming as he made his way through the animals and headed up the staircase to the Breaking the 4th Wall Floor. He poked his head through the door of a mysterious room, but only saw a person reading some story, and he left the room quickly before the reader looked up to see if a secret platypus agent really had taken a peek into the room.

As he rushed towards the next main room marked on the building map Perry had a flash of inspiration. This wasn't the first time some innocent had been hit by one of Doofenshmirtz's rays. Perry recalled the way Lawrence Fletcher had been hit by the Make Everything Evil-Inator/Izer, and how he had snapped him out of it by bringing the boys to him. Perhaps a loved one would work here too, to free Phineas from the effects of the ray?

Perry was now outside the Throne Room. He peeked his head warily through the double doors, which had been slightly ajar, to see Phineas in Isabella's arms. Smiling, he withdrew from the room and gently closed the doors, then sat against the wall sighing in relief. It looked like he wasn't needed here after all.

At that point, without warning, water burst from the ceiling. Perry jumped up fully alert, until he realised that it was simply the fire extinguishing system which had finally activated (Perry reasoned) in response to the burning clone in the other corridor. Footsteps approached from around the corner and Perry readied himself, but the Buford Clone that limped towards him was more odd or comical than threatening. It appeared to be melting; the water was slowly turning it to sludge and parts of its body seemed to be sliding off. It groaned as it dragged what remained of its legs past Perry and off to some other room.

_Well, everything turned out slightly easier than expected in the end_, thought Perry. _But there's still one thing left to do._

* * *

Doofenshmirtz and the Buford Clones were nearly at the dungeon, with the former begging in vain for his freedom when the sprinklers overhead had activated, weakening the clones until Doofenshmirtz could break out of their grip and slip away unnoticed.

"Hah! Those clones were no match for me, Heinz Doofenshmirtz!" he proclaimed, conveniently forgetting the past 5 minutes as he rushed back out the way he had come in.

"Now, all I need to do is head back to my building, get my other Inator, de-evil that other boy, and then take over the Tri-State Area! It's foolproof, isn't it?

"...And I'm talking to nobody. Great."

* * *

"Sorry for overthrowing you and establishing an autocratic rulership over the Tri-State Area, Mayor Doofenshmirtz. We're not exactly sure what came over us."

"Oh that's quite all right. We'll simply put this all behind us and pretend it never happened."

After Phineas and Ferb had come to consciousness, the gang had met and invited Roger Doofenshmirtz back to City Hall to set things back to normal. Thankfully for Isabella, while they kept most of the memories of the day, it seemed they had forgotten anything shortly around the time they respectively collapsed, and she had breathed a huge sigh of relief when she found out her secret was safe. She couldn't stop smiling, though. It was frustrating: she wanted to tell the world, her friends, anyone who would listen, but she shouldn't. She couldn't! _Perhaps I should start keeping a journal? _she mused. _Then when Phineas and I get married I can tell him about today. Hey, perhaps we should all keep journals! Those would be really cool to read!_

The stormy weather outside was clearing up, while a small army of handymen worked to reset the fire system and clean up the remains of the various disintegrated clones. They were going to leave a lot of the rooms as they were though, including what Roger referred to as 'the comedy basement'.

"Subordinate clauses," Roger had quoted, chuckling. "Classic."

"Why does everyone find that so funny?" cried Candace, exasperated.

It was at that point that the parents walked in, fresh from the antique convention. "Hi kids, did you have a good time?" Linda asked the gang, to be greeted by a chorus of hellos.

"Mom, Mom! Phineas and Ferb established themselves as monarchs of the Tri-State Area and turned City Hall into a castle and they made amendments to the Tri-State Area Constitution and everything!"

Linda sighed. "Mayor Doofenshmirtz, I do hope the boys- and especially my daughter- weren't too much trouble."

"Not at all, not at all," Roger said smoothly.

"Why are you all wet?" Vivian asked.

"Oh the sprinklers in the building went off," Isabella explained.

"Now that I can believe," Linda said, sighing. "Come on kids, let's go home."

As they left the building, Linda observed the brightly coloured slide descending from the floor above. She had considered it childish but decided it would be rude to inquire about the slide from the Mayor and thought nothing more of it after they climbed into the car. On the return journey, Phineas was, as usual, excitedly discussing some fantastically creative idea with Ferb as boys their age usually do, with Candace as dejected as usual after the usual attempt to prove the existence of some exaggerated scheme which (as usual) did not exist. It eluded Linda as to how Candace could have such belief in its existence until the big reveal in the backyard, after which she would come to despair at the imaginary invention's sudden disappearance. Linda would often, while waiting in queues or driving, while away the time by brainstorming possible reasons for her daughter's curious daily routine, and she did so presently on the drive home. Yes, it had been a largely usual day, with nothing out of the ordinary (even the daily extraordinary claims from Candace had been in place) and she smiled at that reassuring reflection as she turned a corner and noticed something that was out of place on the street.

_Public art keeps getting stranger and stranger; that odd collection of shapes seem to be part of unfinished statues of, well, who knows?. _

_Perhaps that's the idea. Oh well. I'll never understand public art. I wonder if the kids want pie?_

* * *

Doofenshmirtz trudged into his apartment, looking evidently worse for the wear.

"Gee, thanks a lot for waiting for me, Norm. I left my wallet here and couldn't call a taxi so I had to walk all the way over here from City Hall. All because YOU weren't where you were supposed to be!"

"Sorry sir, but Perry the Platypus wanted a ride back here first," Norm responded as he entered the room. "Besides, isn't your HRTDL still expired?"

"Quiet, Norm," Doofenshmirtz said tiredly as he slumped into his armchair in front of the TV, on which a reporter was summarising the final developments of the story.

"And the reign of the INSANE lasted less than 24 hours, as they handed over power back to Mayor Doofenshmirtz. Now, in other news, apples shaped like members of the rock bandLove Händel: valuable collector's items, or delicious healthy snacks? More on this after the weather."

"Oh, so the other boy was turned back to normal somehow," Doofenshmirtz mused. "I wonder who they were? Perhaps I'll do a little research on them later."

It was then that he looked at Norm properly. "Hey wait, what's that in your hands?"

"It's for you sir," he said. "Perry the Platypus left it for you!"

Doofenshmirtz gasped as he realised why it looked a little familiar. "It's the prototype Anti Take Over-Inator we built earlier! Ah, what Perry the Platypus didn't know is that I can turn this into a Take Over-Inator with just the push of a button. I'll zap myself with it and become evil enough to take over the Tri-State Area!"

He cackled maniacally as he pushed the button, zapping himself with the ray gun. There was a great flash of light that caused Doofenshmirtz to fall on his behind onto the floor. He blinked, disoriented, as he looked up towards Norm and back down to the strange ray gun in his hands.

"Eh... what is this thing in my hands?"

"It's for you sir. Perry the Platypus left it for you!"

"Ah, it's my Take Over-Inator! I'll zap myself with it and become evil enough to take over the Tri-State Area!"

* * *

Watching the video footage on a handheld screen of Doofenshmirtz zapping himself repeatedly, Perry couldn't help but smile. It was necessary though, if Perry didn't want Doofenshmirtz remembering his family too closely, and besides, technically he needed to disable the prototype anyway. Perry had simply solved the two problems together, while sneaking a laugh or two out of the matter.

Well, the Anti-Take-Over-Inator-turned-Amnesia-Inator would run out of power soon enough and Doofenshmirtz could get some rest. He tucked the little screen away and snuggled down in his basket. He'd have to get up early tomorrow to re-enable the cameras at Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated but hey, Doofenshmirtz deserved this one to stay off the OWCA gag reel at least.

"Ah, the life of a platypus," Phineas said, sighing contentedly as he and Ferb knelt by Perry lying sleepily in his basket. "Where do you think he disappears to do every day, Ferb?"

"Well, a platypus is an enigmatic creature. Who knows what thrilling adventures he undertakes as we go about our daily routine?"

"You said it, bro. You said it."

* * *

**I hope the endings, and the story as a whole, were satisfying. Please review and let me know what you thought. Take care now ^_^**


End file.
